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Orbiting Jupiter

A heartbreaking story, narrated by twelve-year-old Jack, whose family is caring for fourteen-year-old Joseph. Joseph is misunderstood. He was incarcerated for trying to kill a teacher. Or so the rumours say. But Jack and his family see something other in town don't want to.

What's more, Joseph has a daughter he's never seen. The two boys go on a journey through the bitter Maine winter to help Joseph find his baby - no matter the cost.

Supper that night was warm and dark – sometimes my mother likes to eat with only the candles lit, so we sat in the flickering yellow. Later, though, outside, it was cold and bright. No moon, but the stars were so lit up, we didn't even need to turn the porch light on to stack splits for the kitchen wood stove. It only took a couple of trips for the three of us, and after we finished, I stopped in the yard and looked at the sky and said to my father, 'Do you know which one is Jupiter?'

'Jupiter?' he said. He looked at the stars. 'Jack, I have no idea.' He pointed. 'Maybe that big one?'

'Over there,' said Joseph.

He was pointing up above the mountains.

'How do you know?' said my father.

'I always know where Jupiter is,' he said.

English:

This really is only a very short book. It's not even 200 pages, the font is really big and I'd guess the line spacing is about 1.5. Hence, everything happens really fast. I realised within the first couple of pages what would happen. With that said, I'm going to quote myself real quick: "I feel with every word that my heart is totally going to be broken. Totally." And that is correct. It has totally been broken.

Schmidt is incredible at using words effectively. I'm seriously really impressed (and relieved because there are quite a lot of books of his that I'm interested in). The story progresses swiftly but it's never too fast or hastened or any other bad things that you could assign to a rapid progression of time. On the contrary, the story's speed feels natural. You rush through this excerpt of life but you always have enough time to feel and to understand. It's amazing and terrible. (Since I've already quoted myself I might as well also quote Megan Abbott: "Everything wonderful is terrible too.")

The atmosphere in this book is incredible. It's so dense and compact and it felt charged and wonderful and heart-wrenching. Seriously. And because the story was this charged I was very sensible towards small changes in atmosphere. It felt like being on a small boat where you feel the smallest wave-induced movement - only much slower. It's very effective and every time something like that happened I felt like I was about to cry.

Obviously I also properly cried at the end. I already told you that this book broke my heart.

Christmas is the season for miracles, you know. Sometimes they come big and loud, I guess – but I've never seen one of those. I think probably most miracles are a lot smaller, and sort of still, and so quiet, you could miss them.

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra ClareBlurb:Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? Clary would love to spend more time with her best friend, Simon. But the Shadowhunters won't let her go--especially her handsome, infuriating newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil--and also her father. When the second of the Mortal Instruments is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor suspects Jace. Could Jace really be willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

Review:"I don't want to be a man," said Jace. "I want to be an angst-ridden teenager who can't confront his own inner demons and takes it out verbally on…